After a difficult rehabilitation from microfracture surgery on his right knee, Ohio State defensive end Nathan Williams appeared in about 20 plays in the season opener against Miami University on Sept. 1.

Williams did not play the next week because of what coach Urban Meyer said was knee soreness. Williams returned last week against California and played more than 60 snaps. But there’s no question in his mind about being able to bounce back to play on Saturday against Alabama-Birmingham.

“I’m feeling great,” Williams said.

It turns out that the effects of the microfracture surgery didn’t keep him out of the Central Florida game. Early in the Miami game, Williams was hit in the knee by the helmet of a Miami running back.

“I was like, ‘Wow, thanks a lot,’ ” Williams said. “It kind of penetrated and made a deep bone bruise. It hurt to put any kind of pressure on it.”

That has healed, and Williams said he’s 100 percent. He acknowledges not being his old self just yet because of rust. Out of concern for the knee, Williams takes few, if any, repetitions in practice.

“Games are my first team reps during the week,” he said. “While the game is going on, I’m practicing at the same time. It affects (my performance) tremendously, but I’m getting better every day.”

With his pass-rush ability and flexibility to move around the defense as a bit of a wild card, Williams can become a major factor on defense.

“Coming into this season, I thought I’d be happy to play half the year,” Williams said. “The way I’m recovering, it’s amazing to me.”

As for playing so many snaps last week, Williams said that’s not an issue.

“I don’t want to have people worry about me,” he said.

But Meyer does. It wasn’t the plan to have him play so much last week.

“Yeah, I was really concerned,” Meyer said about Williams’ workload. “But you don’t think about that in the third or fourth quarter when it’s 28-28.”

Penalty box

The Buckeyes have committed 21 penalties in the past two weeks. Meyer said he had “very, very confrontational” meetings with the players who committed foolish infractions. Ohio State was guilty of four personal-foul penalties against California.

Meyer was particularly frustrated with center Corey Linsley, whose shove of a Cal player short-circuited a drive and stunted the Buckeyes’ momentum after the offense scored three touchdowns.

After the game, Linsley took full responsibility for losing his focus.

Meyer said the silver lining was that the guilty players aren’t “knuckleheads,” but he said that if such penalties continue, the culprits won’t play.

Injury update

Meyer said that running back Carlos Hyde and defensive lineman Michael Bennett won’t play on Saturday. Meyer said that defensive lineman John Simon (shoulder), safety C.J. Barnett (sprained ankle) and cornerback Bradley Roby (shoulder) also are fighting injuries.

Meyer said he expects Simon to play. He said he will have a better sense of the status of Barnett and Roby today.